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There is little debate about the seismic sway the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class has had on the automotive landscape since it burst onto the world stage in late 2004. The FOUR-DOOR COUPE, as Daimler board of management member Dr. Thomas Weber proudly called it over and over (and over) again at the second-generation CLS’s debut at the 2010 Paris auto show, has been a runaway success.

The first-gen CLS’s sizzling, low-slung profile spawned seemingly dozens of imitators — cars and crossovers alike — from rival automakers. Mercedes has moved more than 170,000 units of the current CLS since launch, with roughly one-third of buyers moving over from other automakers. Their main reason for heading to the local Benz dealer to purchase a CLS? You guessed it: style.

So for the new 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, naturally Mercedes turned to a 30-something Korean-American designer from L.A. who had never before worked on a vehicle launch of this magnitude, let alone a car that had become heralded the world over for its design.

Hubert Lee (hey, his first name’s German), now the head man at Benz’s Advanced Design North America operation in Southern California, has been keenly aware of the awesome responsibility he inherited from the moment his proposal was picked as the basis for the second-gen CLS in late 2006.

“I didn’t want to be the guy who messed up a design icon,” Lee said, knowing full well that the new car would be mercilessly scrutinized from a design perspective. But at the same time Lee felt strongly that the CLS needed to go in new and different directions and not just be an evolution of the first-gen car. And so it did.

You can argue with the results (and we know you will in the comments below), but Lee believes he has wrought a car that is both athletic — upright, aggressive grille reminiscent of the SLS AMG; impactful, edgy character line descending along the flanks — and elegant, with rear fenders and deck inspired in part by the swoopy pre-war Mercedes-Benz 540 K ‘Autobahnkurier’.

If you like what you see, you’re going to like what Lee, along with the rest of the Benz design team headed by Lee’s boss, Gorden Wagener, have cooking for future Benzes.

Despite what you may feel about car’s new duds, design alone does not a car make, and Mercedes worked long and hard to improve the CLS dynamically, technologically, and ergonomically.

To highlight the new car’s capabilities, Mercedes shuttled us from the Paris show floor into the mountains above Florence for a day of driving on several winding Italian roads. The first thing you notice about the 2012 CLS when you get behind the wheel is the wheel — an impressive, meaty three-spoke design with paddles at 9 and 3 so you can pop away at the updated version of Benz’s seven-speed transmission — dubbed 7G-Tronic Plus — if you so desire. While the cockpit is a bit on the snug side, Mercedes says head and shoulder room has improved for all four passengers, although you’re still going to have jackknife into and out of the back seat if you’re in the 90th percentile for height.

The cabin is awash in top-shelf materials and soft-touch surfaces, including a neat carbon fiber look/piano black outfit our CLS550 tester enjoyed. The updated gauge work features a color display that relays information from car’s multitude of safety nannies (there are no less than 14 separate systems that come as either standard or optional equipment) and other systems. The latest-generation of Mercedes COMAND, with its dial located in the center tunnel to access the 7-inch display, is by now familiar Benz fare that works relatively well controlling vehicle features. The two rear seats fold down for added utility if needed (the trunk features a solid 15.31 cubic-feet of space). And of course, the CLS comes with the usual assortment of standard and optional entertainment features available in all high-end Benzes.

While hustling along the snaking ribbons of Italian asphalt, we encountered multiple rolling chicanes — usually a busted-up Fiat Punto or similar — so when the coast was clear, we swung into the left lane and stomped the pedal, bringing all-new 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 to life. With a stout 402 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque available from just 1,600 rpm, the 4.6 had zero trouble sling-shotting the CLS’s roughly 4,200 pounds past the putting Puntos. The new engine is more powerful across the board than the outgoing 5.5-liter it replaces, and said to be 20 percent more fuel efficient to boot. While no 0-60 times have been estimated by Benz as of yet, we’re betting it will best the outgoing car’s 5.4 second number.

With all the zigging and zagging, we got to know the CLS’s new electromechanical power steering (Mercedes calls it a world first for the segment), which provided a direct, balanced feel in every situation we encountered, high speed or low. The ring and pinion-based setup was exhaustively tested in an effort to cut down on twitchiness when doing the autobahn hustle, and it also allowed Benz to fit its available Active Park Assist system to the car. It’s one of the unquestioned highlights of the CLS and it worked masterfully. Expect to see it in other Benzes soon.

Suspension-wise, the CLS is essentially fitted with new generation E-Class componentry (roughly 70 percent of the car is E-Class based under the skin). Smoothing it all out is the automaker’s Airmatic air suspension system that automatically adjusts damping force depending upon road or driving conditions, with a three-link axle with McPherson struts at the front, and a multilink rear. Ample stopping power comes via the 14.2-inch discs at the front and 12.6-inchers out back.

There’s one more world first on the new CLS — the optional all-LED front light banks. Much like the CLS sparked the four-door coupe craze, Audi‘s LED light pipes started a lighting arms race that has reached new heights on the CLS. The entire front lighting assembly, turn signals, main beam — the whole shooting match — are LED (some 71 in all), which Benz says will last for the life of the car. The system has five main settings that automatically adapt to driving conditions based on oncoming traffic situations, turn with the car and otherwise light up the night. All in all, it’s illuminating stuff.

When the CLS arrives in the U.S. next summer, it will also be available for the first time with the automaker’s 4Matic all-wheel drive system, which has proven incredibly popular in cold-weather states.

So while the slap-fest will no doubt rage on about whether Benz botched the design of the new CLS, there’s little doubt based on our drive that this car is better where it truly counts — from right behind that sweet three-spoke wheel.

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